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' July 2, 1968 3,390,790

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AUTOMATIC FEED APPARATUS FOR BOOK SEWING MACHINE Original Filed Jan. 31,1964 ll Sheets-Sheet 9 July 2, 1968 J. H. ATKINS ET'AL 3,390,790

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4 Claims. (Cl. 214-16) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus is providedfor feeding signatures automatically into a book sewing machine. Aconveyor delivers the signatures onto a shelf. Each time a signature isadded to the stack of signatures oscillating racks center the signatureand the book on the shelf, the shelf is raised up into sewing positionand the topmost signature is sewn to the underlying volume. The shelfalso shifts laterally after each sewing operation to stagger thestitching. As the signatures accumulate, the shelf and book drop downuntil all of the signatures are sewn. Thereafter a book-seating shelfwhich has been supporting the book during the sewing operation, swingsout of the way allowing the sewn volume to drop onto a table. The shelfhas an inner knife edge which, when it swings closed, automatically cutsthe threads connecting the needle to the book. The book is then dumpedout of the machine.

This invention relates generally to machines for sewing books and moreparticularly is directed towards an apparatus for automatically feedingand positioning book signatures to an oversewing machine, centering thesignatures for the sewing operations and subsequently cutting theattached threads and dumping the finished volume.

This application is a division of US. patent application Ser. No.341,50l, filed Jan. 31, 1964, now Patent No. 3,272,160 for AutomaticFeed Apparatus for Booksewing Machine.

An oversewn book is one in which two or more book sections or signaturesare joined by sewing through and over the edges of the adjacentsignatures to secure a tight hold upon each leaf of the book by means ofmultiple stitches passing through the stronger portion of the paperwhich has not been weakened by folding. In a standard oversewingmachine, signatures are fed in one at a time with the first signaturestarting a new book being double sewn and the succeeding sections areadded one at a time receiving each a number of stitches with the finalsection, like the first, being also double sewn. As each section reachesthe sewing mechanism, it is attached securely to the preceding sectionand to the following sections because each set of stitches penetratesthree or more sections at a time making the entire group of sectionswhich constitute the complete book a securely united volume.

Heretofore, oversewing machines have included a number of manual stepswhich require a rather high degree of operating skill to produce booksof a uniform quality. For example, the individual signatures must be fedby hand and positioned properly at the sewing station. Unless thesignatures are properly centered and positioned laterally, theparticular signature will not be bound properly to the book and thefinished volume will have an irregular appearance.

The various parts of the machine and their control require constantattention and considerable skill on the part of the operator. Because ofthe repetitious nature of the work and the various manual operationsinvolved, the task of oversewing books in large numbers is rather tiringand, without skilled help, the resulting products might not be ofuniform quality,

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provideimprovements in oversewing machines.

Another object of this invention is to provide an attachment foroversewing machines which attachment will carry signatures automaticallyinto the machine and perform automatically operations previously donemanually.

Still another object of this invention is to provide an oversewingmachine attachment Which requires a minimum amount of training, skilland attention on the part of the operator.

Yet another object of this invention is to provide an oversewing machineattachment which will feed, position, build up successive signatures,drop the finished book, cut the attached threads and finally dump thesewn volume, all automatically.

More particularly, this invention features an attachment for oversewingmachines which attachment may be readily adapted to conventionalmachines and which may be conveniently swung in and out of operatingposition for servicing both the machine and the attachment.

In particular, the attachment features a conveyor system for feeding,one by one, signatures placed thereon down onto a ready shelf fromwhich, at the proper moment, they are pushed into the sewing station ontop of previously sewn signatures. In the sewing station an automaticcentering apparatus positions the deposited signature precisely withrespect to the sewn portion of the volume and also indexes the volumelaterally to one side or the other so as to stagger the stitching. Asthe signatures accumulate, the book drops down gradually until all ofthe signatures are sewn. Thereupon, a bookshelf, which has beensupporting the book during the sewing operation, swings out of the Wayallowing the sewing volume to drop onto a table. The shelf, which has aninner knife edge, then moves upward and swings shut, therebyautomatically cutting the threads connecting the needles to the book.Finally, the table itself is provided with a hinged portion which swingsdown to dump the book out onto a suitable receiver such as a conveyor orthe like.

But these and other features of the invention, along with furtherobjects and advantages thereof, will become more fully apparent from thefollowing detailed description of the invention, with reference beingmade to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in side elevation of an oversewing machine attachmentmade according to the invention,

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof,

FIG. 3 is a detail sectional view in side elevation,

FIG. 3a is a detail section in front elevation showing the pusher drivemechanism,

FIG. 3b is a side elevation of the pusher assembly,

FIG. 30 is a top plan view thereof,

FIG. 3d is a front elevation thereof partly in section.

FIG. 32 is a view in side elevation partly in section showing the pusherconveyor assembly,

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the finger push assembly,

FIG. 3g is a view in side elevation thereof,

FIG. 3h is a fragmentary top sectional view thereof,

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary top plan view of the signature shelf,

FIG. 5 is a view in front elevation of the signature centeringmechanism,

FIG. 6 is a sectional view in side elevation of the centering mechanism,

FIG. 7 is a detail side elevation of a guide arm employed in thecentering mechanism,

FIG. 8 is a detail view in side elevation showing the table mechanism,

FIG. 9 is a detail sectional view in side elevation of the tablemechanism,

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 8,

FIG. 11 is a cross sectional view taken along the line 1111 of FIG. 10,

FIG. 12 is a view in side elevation, somewhat schematic, showing theclamp release mechanism, and,

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram showing the operating circuit for theattachment.

Referring now to the drawings, the reference character 10 generallyindicates an oversewing machine to the frame of which is connected anattachment 12 by means of a hinge 14. The attachment is generallyorganized about a pair of webbed side frame members 16 rigidly connectedto one another as by cross rods 18 and supported on casters 20 to permitthe attachment to be swung in and out of operating position, as willappear more fully below.

In general, the attachment includes an intermittently actuated beltconveyor 22 adjustably mounted on top of the frame and adapted todeliver individual signatures 24, which are placed singly thereon by theoperator, down onto a signature shelf 26. From the signature shelf 26,individual signatures 24 are advanced by a pushing apparatus, shown inFIG. 3, onto a bookshelf 28 located at the front face of the oversewingmachine 10.

In an operating cycle the bookshelf 28 is adapted to reciprocate firstdownwardly to receive the signature delivered by the pusher mechanism.The book parts are then centered by the centering mechanism shown inFIG. 5 and the shelf then reciprocates upwardly to clamp the alreadysewn signatures and the newly added signature up against a transversemember 30. While held in this clamped condition, a series of spacedparallel punches and needles 32 stitch diagonally through the back edgeof the new signature and into two or three adjacent, already sewnsignatures, in a typical oversewing operation. The needle and punchesare part of the conventional oversewing machine 10.

When the sewing operation is completed, the bookshelf 28 swings out andaway from the oversewing machine 10 to drop the sewn book down into abook table 34 located directly below the bookshelf 28. The book shelf28, which has swung to one side, then moves up and swings back into aclosed position directly above the sewn book. The inner edge of thebookshelf is provided with a shearing blade which cuts all of thethreads attached between the book and needles 32 to completely separatethe book. Thereupon the table 34 swings about a horizontal axis to dumpthe sewn book down and out of the machine for delivery to furtherbinding operations.

The driving mechanism for the attachment includes a motor 36 mountednear the lower portion of the frame and in driving engagement with amain drive shaft 38, which in turn drives a horizontal main cam shaft 40through a belt 42 and pulleys 44 and 46. The main drive system includesa flexible coupling 48 and a clutch 50.

Starting with the conveyor 22, the various portions of the machine andtheir operation will now be described in detail. The conveyor assembly22 is organized about a frame 52 slidably mounted on inclined tracks 54formed in the upper portions of the main frame members 60. The positionof the conveyor assembly along the tracks 54 is controlled by means of alever 56 pivoted about a rod 58 and provided with a screw clamp 69operated by means of a handle '62. The positioning mechanism includes acrank 64 articulated to a link 66 which is connected at 68 to theconveyor frame 52. By being able to position the conveyor assembly to aselected location along the track 54, the apparatus may be adjusted tocompensate for changes in the size of the book which is being sewn.

The conveyor assembly includes a motor 70 which in precise increments.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, spaced abutments 84 are attachedtransversely to the surface of the belt 76 and move with the belt. Anadjustably mounted guide number 86 extends from the frame 52 over theupper surface of the belt at right angles to the abutments 84. Inpractice, the operator places a single signature 24 on the fiat uppersurface of the belt 7 6 with the upper edge of the signature bearingagainst the guide 86 and the right-hand edges, as viewed in FIG. 2,against the forward edge of an abutment 84. In this fashion, thesignature is precisely positioned upon delivery onto the signature shelf26. When the motor drives the belt forwardly, the signature is delivereddown onto the signature shelf 26 with the belt advancing far enough todeliver the signature and bring another abutment into position forreceiving the next signature to be placed thereon by the operator. Thebelt may be any length so that two or more signatures can be placed onit at one time.

Referring now more particularly to the signature shelf, indicatedgenerally by the reference character26, it will be noted that a shelfextends under and forwardly of the belt conveyor 22 and is mounted tothe frame 52 so that the shelf 26 will move together with the conveyor22 when the assembly is moved along the tracks 54.

The signature shelf 26 actually comprises five elongated membersgenerally co-extensive and in spaced parallel relation to one another.The outermost of these five members are solid bars 88 of aluminum or thelike, and next to them inwardly is a pair of channel members 90 whichserve as tracks for pushers 92 slidably mounted therein. These pushersare adapted to engage and advance the signature from the signature shelf26 onto the bookshelf 28 where it will be sewn to other stacked and sewnsignatures previously deposited. The centermost member of the signatureshelf 26 is an elongated bracket 94 on the end of which is a finger 96adapted to telescope forwardly, swing down and grip the top surface of asewn volume to provide a vertical and backward pressure on the completedbook as it is being withdrawn from the oversewing machine. Its functionis primarily to clear small, thin books from the bookshelf 28 prior tothe automatic trimming and dumping cycle of the machine.

The signature pushing mechanism is best shown in FIGS. 32 through 3d,where it Will be seen that a pusher 92 is reciprocated along the channelmember 90 by means of a flat spring tape 88 which is wound within acylindrical housing 100 when retracted and drivingly connected to atorque arm 102 mounted fast on a shaft 104. The shaft 104 is operated bymeans of a torque motor which will drive the arm 102 through an arc ofapproximately 275 to advance the pusher 92 along thechannel 90. Thechannel 90 will be seen in FIG. 3d to be formed with tracks 106 toaccommodate the tape 98.

Each pusher 92, as best shown in FIGS. 3b, 0 and d, is formed with abody portion 108 formed with an angularly offset passage whichaccommodates a tongue 110. The tongue is held in position by a lightfrictional pressure applied by means of a bent leaf spring 112 or otherfriction type element. The purpose of the tongue 110 is to provide aseating force on the end leaf at the bottom of the first signature,which end leaf will extend beyond the width of the rest of thesignatures. The tongue extending in advance of the pusher body deflectsthe end leaf downward so that the vertical face 114 of the pusher body108 can push against the remaining leaves of the signature and applypressure to insert them properly into the oversewing machine. The spring112 only provides a frictional restraint on the backward motion of thetongue and will hold it in whatever position the action of thesignatures force it. Before a new book is started, a stop 116 pushesforward within the guide track 90 to reset the tongue 110 into theposition shown in full lines in FIG. 3b. Once the signature is inmotion, it will be understood that a tongue is forced into the retractedposition shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3b.

Referring more particularly to FIG. 32, it will be seen that the channelmembers 90 each are provided with retractable stops 118 which preventsignatures fed onto the signature shelf 26 from overtraveling. Theretractable stops 118 are located at the ends of the channel members 90and are pivoted on pins 120. A flat spring 122 is employed to urge thestop 118 into a normally lowered flush position so that the pusher caninsert the signature over the end of the bars into the sewing machine10. Operation of the stop 118 is controlled by means of a lever arm 124which moves with the torque shaft 104. When the pusher 92 is in itsrearmost or retracted position, it will be noted that the lever arm 124has pulled back on a support 126 for the tape 98 thus raising the stop118 to which it is connected. When the support 126 is pulled backwardly,the stop 118 is biased about its pin 120 to raise the stop into positionto catch the signature. As soon as the torque arm 102 starts to rotateand thus start the advance of the pushers, the lever arm 124 is rotatedalso and allows the spring 122 to return the stop 118 into a lowered orflush position so that the pushers can drive the signatures forwardlyover the end of the signature shelf into the oversewing machine 10.

The centermost bracket 94, as best shown in FIGS. 3, 3 3g and 3h,carries the finger 96, which is actuated by a cam-driven lever 128 (seeFIG. 3) that is cyclically biased by a cam 130 on the main cam shaft 40.The middle bracket 94 basically comprises inner and outer channelmembers 132 and 134 with the inner channel adapted to telescopeoutwardly under the action of the lever 128. The inner channel 132 hasthe finger 96 hinged thereto by a pin 136 and is characterized by acurved lower edge covered by a rubber face 138. The finger 96 isnormally held in the raised position as shown in full line in FIG. 3 bymeans of an arm 140 which has a T 142 on the end thereof. The arm isretained in a forward position by means of notches 144 and 146 formed inthe lower edges of both the inner and outer channel members 132 and 134respectively. When the inner channel member 132 is advanced forwardly byactuation of the lever 128, the notches 144 Will carry the T and the arm140 forwardly, out of engagement with the notches 146 in outer channelmember. Towards the free end of the outer channel member 134 there isformed a cam 148 which, as the inner channel member approaches the endof its forward stroke, forces the arm 140 out of engagement with thenotches 144 and allows the arm to return to a normally retractedright-hand position, as viewed in FIG. 3g, by means of a spring 150 oneend of which is fastened to a fixed boss 152 on the outer channel andthe opposite ends of which connect to a cross-piece 154 on the arm 143.When the arm 140 snaps backwards, the finger 86 is pivoted downward andas the action of the driver arm 128 brings the inner channel member 132backwardly it will reach a point where the arm 140 meets the notch 146on the outer channel member. Further retraction of inner channel memberthen causes the finger to rise back into its position in alignment withthe rest of the channels and at the end to snap back into its latchedposition in the inner channel.

The function of the signature shelf and the pusher mechanism serves tofeed signatures one by one into the oversewing machine 10. Once thesignatures are fed into the machine it is necessary to center eachsignature so that when the signature is sewn the ends thereof will beflush with the ends of the already sewn portion of the volume. Thiscentering function is carried out by means 6 of the mechanismillustrated in FIGS. 5, 6 and 7. This mechanism is located on the frontportion of the machine on either side of the rows of punches and needles32 which perform the sewing operations. The centering mechanism includestwo vertical guide arms 156 and 158 carried by a horizontal pinion 60.This pinion functions to raise in unison both of the guide arms 156 and158.

Each of the guide arms is movably mounted on a traveling block 162supported by a rail 164 of T cross-section. The rail 164 at itsright-hand end, as viewed in FIG. 5, carries a pin 166 which engages acam. It is the function of the cam to shift the rail incrementally fromside to side to assure that stitching on adjacent signatures are not ontop of one another. In other words, the rail is moved back and forth adistance of approximately inch after each sewing cycle. In practice, therail has four positions typically inch over from the start position,over 4 inch, over /2 inch and back inch to the original position. Theresulting stitches are then in staggered relation on the book back.

Clamped on the center of the rail 164 is a motor assembly 168 whichdrives a pinion 170 in mesh with a pair of racks 172 and 174. Each ofthe racks is connected to one of the traveling blocks 162 so thatoperation of the motor moves the guide arms 156 and 158 an equaldistance. Lateral displacement of the rail is produced by the pin 166riding in the cam previously mentioned and which is intermittently movedby a rod 176 shown in FIG. 12. At the end of each sewing cycle, the bookshelf 28 drops preparatory to the insertion of a new signature. Thismovement of the bookshelf results in a rotation of an arm 178 whichpulls on the rod 176 and provides an incremental rotation of the camattached at that point on the oversewing machine 10. The result is thatthe motion of the rail 164 introduces a motion in the motor assembly 168which then maintains a centering function by moving the guide arms 156and 158 back and forth an equal distance. In practice, a torque motor180 is employed for moving the guide arms, although various otherdevices may be used such as an air cylinder, for example.

In order that different sizes of signatures may be accommodated, it isnecessary that the racks 172 and 174 be able to be moved a proportionaldistance depending upon the size of the signatures. The oscillationproduced by the torquer 180 is sufiicient only to open and close theguides enough to permit the centering of new signatures and thereforethe centering as a Whole is not sufiicient of itself to accommodate awide range of signature sizes. For this purpose a lever 182 is mountedon the motor assembly 168 and may be rotated to pivot the torque motorabout a pivot pin 184 and to lift the torque motor pinion 186 out ofmesh with the teeth on the top of the rack 174. With the pinion 186 thusraised, the operator may move the racks freely to a position appropriatefor the particular size of the signatures that are being sewn. Byreturning the lever 182 to a down position, the pinion 186 will bere-engaged to provide a proper amount of incremental motion of thecentering guide arms 156 and 158 in the new overall width configurationfor the signatures.

It should be understood that the lower ends of the guide arms 156 and158 rest on the top of the bookshelf 28 and move up and down with it. Asbest shown in FIG. 7, springs 188 are employed to urge the guide armsdown agains.the bookshelf. In order to keep the guide arms from droppingbelow the plane of the bookshelf when it is swung out and away from theoversewing machine, a feeler or rack arm 190 is mounted slideably in afixed bracket 192 and meshes with the pinion 160 which is also in meshwith teeth 194 formed in the front faces of the guide arms 156 and 158.The lower end of the feeler arm 190 also bears against the top surfaceof the bookshelf 28 but in such a position that it does not move out ofengagement with the bookshelf even when the bookshelf has swungoutwardly. In this fashion, the feeler arm always keeps the lower edgesof the guide arms in the same place as the bookshelf. Otherwise, theguide arms would be damaged by the bookshelf when it swings back into aclosed position.

When the final signature has been double sewn in place, the unloadingcycle is started either automatically or manually. The first part of thedumping cycle involves the release of the clamp handle 196 and thedropping of the bookshelf 28 approximately 1 inch from its final sewingposition. This is done to make sure that the fingers projecting from thebookshelf are clear of those fingers on the signature shelf 26. Once the1 inch drop has occurred, the bookshelf 28, which is hinged to and risesup and down along a rod 197, is swung out and away from the sewingmachine allowing the sewn volume to fall onto the book table 34 below.The bookshelf then rises while still in an open position to a level justunder the signature shelf 26. The bookshelf then swings closed while thebook table rises slightly so that the threads on the sewn book will becut to a minimum length as the bookshelf closes. After the bookshelf isclosed, it rises to a starting position. The book table 34 is thentipped down to allow the sewn book to fall into a chute or conveyor fordelivery to the next covering operation.

The bookshelf is spring loaded or counter weighted so that when it isreleased it will rise to its top or starting position.

Referring now more particularly to FIG. 1, the operation of the maindrive shaft 38 and the main cam shaft 40 are governed by clutches. Themachine is designed so that one revolution of the main cam shaft 40performs all of the necessary functions in the unloading cycle. As themain cam shaft 40 starts turning it actuates a cam release lever 198(FIG. 3). This releases a wrap spring clutch 200 and locks a bookshelfactuating arm 202 (FIGS. 3 and 8) to driving link 204. The arm 202 isconnected to the bookshelf 28 through a roller fitting 206 (FIG. 8)which is bolted to friction bars 208 on the oversewing machine 10.

Until the clutch 200 is engaged, the arm 202 is free to follow theposition of the bookshelf 28. When the arm becomes locked, the frictionlever 196 of the oversewing machine may be released. The releasingmechanism for the friction lever 196 is shown in FIG. 12 and includeshydraulic cylinder 210 mounted above the friction lever 196 anddrivingly connected to it by means of a link 212. The cylinder 210 isactuated by a pump 214 connected to it by flexible conduits 216. Thepump 214 in turn is controlled by means of a rotation of the main camshaft 40 which through a cam lobe 218 moves an arm 220 to drive a pistonrod 222 into the pump 214 and thereby actuate the hydraulic cylinder 210to rotate the lever 196 and release the bookshelf 28. Once the frictionpressure on the bookshelf is released, the control of the bookshelf istransferred entirely to the arm 202 and the link 204.

As previously indicated, the bookshelf 28 is spring mounted and normallyurged in an upward direction so that the only restraint applied to thebookshelf is through the main cam shaft 40. The next movement of themain cam shaft causes a 1 inch downward travel on the end of the arm 202to drop the bookshelf. This motion is supplied primarily to insure thatthe bookshelf clears the signature shelf 26 when thin volumes are beingsewn. With the bookshelf in the lowered position, it now may be swungout and away into an open position.

The opening operation is carried out by means of the clutch 50 engagingfor /2 a revolution. This clutch is best shown in FIG. 13 where it willbe seen that the 51 clutch body is provided with double lobes adapted toengage a latch 224 which is moved into and out of engagement with theclutch by means of pivotally mounted arm 226 carrying a cam follower 228which rides against a cam 230 carried on the main cam shaft 40. Eachtime the latch is released the clutch makes a /2 revolution. The firsthalf of the cycle swings an arm 226 (FIG. 2) towards the oversewingmachine. This arm is moved by means of a crank 228 and a link 230mounted on the upper end of the drive shaft 38. The arm 226 carries anelongated pin 232 which engages with an arm 234. The arm 234 in turn isconnected to a finger 236 attached to the edge of the bookshelf 28.

The pin 232 is made elongated so that the arm 234 may ride up and down,together with the bookshelf 28, without moving out of engagement withthe pin. As shown in FIG. 2, the arm 234 is formed with a hook-likeportion 238 so that the arm may be disengaged from the pin when theentire attachment 12 is swung out of operating position on its casters20. For this same reason, the hydraulic conduits 216 of FIG. 12 areflexible to permit convenient movement of the attachment 12 from thesewing machine 10. In any event, when the bookshelf is open, it is atfrom its normal closed position, and the book is allowed to drop ontothe table 34.

It will be understood that the entire bookshelf is not hinged forswinging movement but rather a narrow portion adjacent the sewingmachine remains in its normal position. Since there is a possibilitythat a thin, light book might not fall away from the narrow remainingportion of the bookshelf, means are provided to insure that the book ispulled away from the oversewing machine for a. distance of about 1 inchor so both by the motion of the table 34 and the actuation of the finger96 referred to in FIGS. 3, 3 3g and 3h. These functions of the booktable 34 are controlled by rotation of the main cam shaft 40 through alinkage system which includes an arm 240 pivoted about a rod 242 andcarrying an articulated link 244, the end of which is pivotallyconnected to a crank 246. The crank in turn rotates a pulley 248 for atiming belt 250 and applies locking pressure on a brake 252, detailed inFIGS. 10 and 11. As shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the brake comprises aclamping block 254, carrying a shaft 256 having an eccentric cutout sothat its initial rotation will force a block against a spring 260,forcing a brake shoe 262 against a fixed shaft 264 which serves as aguide for the book table 34. The book table 34 is slideably connected tothe shaft 264 by means of tubes 265 telescoped over the shafts andhaving upper ends secured to table brackets 266. The book table 34 isspring loaded to slide upward along the shafts and, during normalcycling, is maintained at a controlled distance below the bookshelf 28by means of a stop 268 attached to the bookshelf.

Once the crank 246 is rotated the application of the brake 262 locks thebook table 34 on the shaft 264 which is securedto the main frame of themachine so that it will not lift when the bookshelf is raised but willrise only to meet the bookshelf when the brake is released by the returnmotion of the link 244. Rotation of the crank 246 provides rotation ofthe pulley 248 which drives a shaft 270 and moves a table insert 272 byrotation of an eccentric 274 to provide a lifting and upward force onthe underside of the book. Simultaneously the finger 96 on the signatureshelf 26 extends outwardly and pivots down so that its rubber faceclamps against the top of the book. This finger then, in a singlestroke, retracts to pull the book entirely off of that portion of thebookshelf 28 that is not swung out of position. As previously mentioned,the operation of the finger 96 is cont-rolled by means of the lever 128shown in FIG. 3.

At this point in the cy'cle, the lever 198 (FIG. 3) releases the clutch200 and the open bookshelf 28 is allowed to rise until it hits a stopjust below the level of the signature shelf 26. The clutch 50 (FIGS. 1and 13) is released again and the arm 226 (FIG. 2) is cranked back toits starting position thus closing the bookshelf 28 and thereby alsotrimming the threads on the top of the newly sewn book. As the closingcycle is concluded, further rotation of a pulley 276, driven by thetiming belt 250,

brings a roller 278 to press against a stop 280 on the under side of thetable 34 to drive the table forwardly as the rotation continues. A setof fingers 282 attached to the table 34 drags a latch bar 284 forwardly,releasing it from contact with the support bracket 266 and thereforeallowing the book table to pivot around the curved face of the bracketand to dump the book.

The link 244 is then returned to its starting position through rotationof the main cam shaft and a spring 286 returns the book table to the upposition. When the table has returned to its starting position, thebrake 252 is released and the book table rises to engage again with thestop 266 on the underside of the bookshelf to complete a full cycle ofoperation.

A schematic circuit diagram for the apparatus is shown in FIG. 3. Thecircuit consists primarily of a relay system arranged so that themachine will operate in the proper sequence to provide the needed doublestitching for the two end-leaf sections. This last-mentioned function iscarried out by means of a two-step relay which will dwell the feedingmechanism and cause the sewing mechanism to cycle twice in order todouble stitch the first and last signatures fed into the machine foreach book. The various relays and actuating switches are located atselected points in the machine to sense the position of the signaturesof the book as they pass through the machine and to actuate eachsuccessive drive mechanism in its proper sequence.

While the attachment has been described with particular reference to theillustrated embodiment, it will be understood that numerousmodifications thereto will appear to those skilled in the art. Also, itwill be understood that the above description and accompanying drawingsshould be taken as illustrative of the invention and not in a limitingsense.

We claim:

1. A mechanism for pushing edgewise against a book section having atleast one page of greater dimension than the remaining pages, comprisinga body having a flat face portion formed in the forward end thereof, atrack supporting said body, means for reciprocating said body along saidtrack including a laterally flexible tape drivingly connected at one endto said body and means for winding and unwinding the opposite end ofsaid tape, a forked tongue slidably mounted to said body and at an angleto its direction of movement, the forked portion of said tongue normallyextending forwardly of said face and adapted to engage the edge of saidone page in advance of the flat face of said body and to sliderearwardly and angularly with said one page to deflect the edge of saidone page away from said body whereby said fiat face may bear against theedges of said remaining pages.

2. A mechanism according to claim 1 including a stop retractably mountedalong said track and adapted to prevent forward motion of said signaturewhen extended, said stop being operatively connected to said windingmeans for retracting said stop during a forward movement of said pusherbody.

3. A mechanism for pushing edgewise against a book section, or the like,having at least one page of greater dimension than the remaining pages,comprising a body having a face portion formed in the forward endthereof, a track supporting said body and adapted to support said booksection, means for reciprocating said body along said track including acylindrical drum disposed tangentially to said track, a power-driven armrotatably mounted in said drum at the axis thereof and relatively stiffflexible tape connected at one end to said body and at the other end tothe outer end of said arm, said tape being adapted to wind up in saiddrum when in a retracted condition and to extend along said track whenin an extended condition, a tongue slidably mounted to said body and atan angle to its direction of movement, the leading portion of saidtongue normally extending forwardly of said face and adapted to engagethe edge of said one page in advance of the face of said body and toslide rearwardly and angularly with said one page to deflect the edge ofsaid one page away from said face whereby said face may bear against theedges of said remaining pages.

4. A mechanism for pushing edgewise against a book section, or the like,having at least one page of greater dimension than the remaining pages,comprising a body having a face portion formed in the forward endthereof, a track supporting said body and adapted to support said booksection, means for reciprocating said body along said track, a tongueslidably mounted to said body and at an angle to its direction ofmovement, the leading portion of said tongue normally extendingforwardly of said face and adapted to engage the edge of said one pagein advance of the face of said body and to slide rearwardly andangularly with said one page to deflect the edge of said one page awayfrom said face whereby said face may bear against the edges of saidremaining pages, and a stop retractably mounted along said trackforwardly of said body for preventing forward movement of said signaturewhen extended, said stop being operatively connected to saidreciprocating means for retracting said stop during a forward movementof said body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 924,274 6/ 1909 Rich 112 212,024,959 12/1935 Alger 112-21 2,688,913 9/1954 Mercer et a1. 198170 XRICHARD E. AEGERTER, Primary Examiner.

EVON C. BLUNK, Examiner.

R. J. HICKEY, Assistant Examiner.

